12 June 2012

‘Get your story straight’

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
AT THE height of the controversy that meets the new board of the Cebu Football Association (CFA), outgoing president Richard Montayre broke his silence and denied that he was the one who filed the election-related protest to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).
The PFF puts the recognition of the the new CFA board on hold after it received a protest questioning the validity of the election held last March 30.

The CFA only received the notification from the PFF without offering any other details about the complaint.
The CFA board was on a manhunt for whoever made the protest and got word from a “Cebu-based football player” who visited the PFF office that it was Montayre who made the complaint.
“Someone told us and mentioned it was him who filed the protest but we were not able to verify it yet as the information was received last Monday,” said incoming CFA secretary general Joey Herrera, who decided to withhold the name of the player.
But Montayre, who just arrived in the country after his trip in Malaysia with the Little Azkals, refuted the issue.
“It’s not true. Can they state the name of the player? They should get their stories right and I will answer right,” said Montayre.
Montayre said that these machinations of made-up stories are just part of the several attempts at attacking his person.
“They want me out of the PFF and I know there have been letters sent to the PFF trying to destroy my name,” he said.
Montayre, who is now holding the position as the PFF Grassroots Program chairman, will exit the new board but will still sit as the ex-officio member of the CFA board.
“I have nothing to do with it (protest). All I know is we have done our job as CFA board and I know we have done it right,” he said.
The protest forced the PFF to hold the recognition of the new CFA board. The PFF membership and legal committee will have to investigate before making a decision on the validity of the elections held last March.
“Lisod kaayo bitaw kay ang among letter nadawat from PFF had made no mention of who filed the protest,” said Herrera.
But while the decision is pending, the new board has already started on working at the local level.
“As far as we know, there were no protests from local football clubs and nobody questioned us so there’s no reason for us to stop working at the local level,” said Herrera.